Vol 4 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Soirée of the Vampires
A city in southern Germany
It was southeast of Munich, near the border and just north of the Alps
The place at the center of the so-called 'supernatural incident'
There was a city in the hills surrounded by h relatively small, it had a population of over thirty thousand and was outfitted with everything you could find in a major urban center
Having no particular specialties or attractions, the city was never usually put into the spotlight
But now, it was the focus of ide attention
The mass disappearance
Perhaps it would not have made much of an impact in the past But this modern-day mystery took place in a time when information could be transferred instantly from one place to another
Naturally, the police and the governate this very real mass disappearance As it had taken place near the border, run crime syndicates from other countries But that possibility was denied froation continued, the an to believe that this was the work of 'demons'
Understanding that the police were ress on the incident, journalists fro out their own hypotheses
The people of the city, of course, were nothing but annoyed at the case But at the saan to fan the flames of fear within the populace
It was an incident they had no way of understanding
If it had taken place in a land far, far away, or soht, they would have probably accepted the disappearance as a supernatural incident One that made only small ripples in their world
But when they woke up in theand opened the , they saw the mountains
It happened on those s of another world
And as the truth behind the incident reas, cults, or strange panderip their minds in paranoia
More andfor other parts now, at least until the incident came to a close And other than those with a specific interest in the case, fewer and fewer people were approaching the mountains
In thethe streets
Slowly, but surely
The foran to cean to fix its hold upon the populace
'The village was attacked by vampires'
Most people, in h off such a story
But the mark on the survivor's neck and the coers were facts that they faced every day And as anxiety spouted left and right in the ht that pressed down upon the people
It grew heavier and heavier, little by little
Creak
Creak
Their thoughts began creaking
Their hearts began warping, giving way to cracks
Through the cracks the ruhts It ate away at the edges of their reason and co their minds
And as a result, the people began to think—
Even as they balked at the mention of vampires—
That maybe, just maybe, vampires really were the answer
Such thoughts worsened the anxiety bearing down over the people And in the end, the entire city was beginning to creak under the strain
And the first echoes of the creaking,
Began next to the little girl who escaped the disappearance
It had been nearly teeks since the incident
The girl remained utterly silent
Initially, she had testified that the village was attacked by strangers But as tireer and fewer, until she finally stopped talking about the case altogether
She ers' disappearance, the police assumed
But not everyone agreed
Her eyes grew visibly blank As she stopped talking about the incident, she began to noticeably build up a ith the world around her
Perhaps she had been bitten by a vaated
Perhaps she is already a vampire herself
The tiny but deep wounds in her neck
They re People began to wonder
At first, they were extre that it was an unbelievable idea, they did their best to keep their questions to themselves
But as tian to whisper, one after another
'So real crazy the other day…'
Averting responsibility, packaging their suspicions as jokes
In place of the reeds that revealed King Midas's secret, people used 'baseless rumors' in order to satiate their curiosities
Following the story of the king, the reeds would one day grow dense and begin to cry out, 'The king has a donkey's ears!'
And the people would believe
They would believe in the unbelievable The idea that the king had donkey ears The idea that vampires were responsible for the mass disappearance
The ruirl was bitten by a va by word of mouth from one person to another
The creaking began to reverberate
<=>
”Sorry I'hed the uniforirl waiting for him there
The man's name was Horst Gedeck
He was a young postirl—the first on the scene of the incident
The girl at the door was the lone reer
”How are you, Ale on your end?”
The girl called Al no emotion
After the investigation, the girl was left with nowhere to go She was initially hospitalized for a health examination, but she soon ended up in the care of the postman who first found her
The postle, living alone in this city He certainly wasn't the type to be at the top of a list of potential foster parents, but he was given custody of the girl for two reasons
One, she had opened her heart to him somewhat
Two, no one else wanted to take her in
Vampires were not the only subjects of hushed rumors Stories aboutcountless other absurd theories, were flying everywhere The authorities considered leaving her with the police, the hospital, or perhaps an orphanage far away because of the potential shock But no one asked the girl for her opinion
In other words, it was only when the postirl that she found a place to be
Although there was still a shadow cast over Alhtened up considerably since the incident
At the sarown visibly quiet
Norht be more inclined to discuss details of an incident after the shock had passed But for the girl, it was the opposite She began to avoid it
But Horst did not pry He did his best to help the girl adjust to a normal life once more
There was a large piece of gauze on her neck Horst kneas underneath, but he never asked about it
For soh it was a forbidden subject
”We got a big load of mail out of nowhere Feels like I had to run around twice as much as before Heh”
”…Is it because of the case?”
”Hm?”
”Maybe it's because… people are worried about their friends who live here So… they're sending so irlher head Horst hurriedly shook his hands
”No no no! Not at all! It's just that ti to do hat happened And… and even if it did, that's not so for you to worry about, is it?”
”…Yeah”
Her voice eak, but she made sure to answer Horst
”Anyway, let's eat I picked up soes on the way back”
”…Yeah”
Was it just his iht he saw Alma smile
Horst breathed a sh of relief
But at that moment,
Thunk
There was a dull noise, like so had been crushed underfoot
Alma flinched Horst ran up to the door to see what had happened
”Who's there?!” He cried, but there was no response
”…Go hide somewhere, okay?” He instructed Alma, and took a deep breath
Horst swung open the door But,
”…No one…?”
The silence of evening filled the street
A chill ran down his spine In his paranoia, Horst began to survey the area
He then found the source of the noise
A knife in the shape of a crucifix, driven deep into his mailbox
He anxiously pulled it out and turned
And he spotted graffiti sprayed onto his wall
[Carve out the zombie's heart]
It was an incredibly vile act of vandalised to a private residence
'shi+t! What the hell?! Why the hell does everyone buy into those ru Alma in person?!'
Venting his airaffiti
”…!”
There stood Alraffiti
”…Alma…”
He didn't knohat to tell her
Although he only hesitated for a few seconds, it was long enough a silence that Alma turned away and ran into the house
What was the shadow cast over her face? Fear? Worry? Or anger at this act of indiscriminate hate?
Unable to confir, Horst quietly followed Alma inside
Not knohat to say Not even knowing how to comfort her
This piece of graffiti was, to so more than a silly prank
But it was the first sign of the warping world that reached Horst and Alma
<=>
Several days later, on the seas
The orange light of dusk war on the deck
Ferret had left the island in pursuit of Mihail, boarding the ferry to the mainland
Soht assume that a vampire could just transfor on the individual, a vareatly weakened or incapacitated by the sea Ferret, of course, could not transforin with
In exchange, she was able to show her beautiful face under the sunlight
But for soaze
”…Mihail…”
Muht,
'Why do you always have to be that way?
'Never looking to see what's around you…'
Ferret herself was actually the reason he never looked around himself, but she did not even consider the possibility She continued staring with her hands clasped around the railing
'Honestly… you…
'You… You're so…'
”Once we meet… How and where shall I beat you to a pulp?”
Her expression instantly clouded over with anxiety Ferret tightened her iron grip on the railings
The reinforced railings twisted and bent along the shape of her fingers
<=>
”Ah… Atchoo!”
”Oh? A cold, perhaps?”
On the way to the Organization, Mihail suddenly sneezed
”That aside, that's quite the curious sound I've lived a long tie such an uncommonly unusual sneeze”
”Huh…? Nah, it's just an old habit… Atchoo!”
”Will you be all right? They say that even a coion”
”Heh I bet it's just so his nose Doubs grinned
”Then it ood to sneeze one more time”
”Why?”
”In Eastern tradition, the nuoes on behind your back Once, one is complimented Twice, one is hated Three times, one is beloved Four tiht Five tiood-for-nothing Then seven tih ad as the nuher But now! Just oneend of someone's love!”
”R, right! I'll do my best!”
Though on the surface, they were exchanging idle banter, underneath theht that no tradition could define
Of course, Mihail was already long used to it
<=>
”…What're we supposed to do? Talk to her?”
”…Like hell”
Fro Ferret crush the railings in her grip They were tailing her without her notice
They were an eye-catching duo, one with blue hair and the other shaved bald But they did not have to worry about being spotted, as Ferret was still locked in tunnel vision
”So we followed Miss Ferret, just like Granny Job and the maids told us to But… uh… Nohat?” The bald ondered His blue-haired friend sighed
”We just gotta watch her toMihail while she's beating him to a pulp”
”…Gonna be pretty tough”
They sighed and continued to watch Ferret, whose shoulders were tre down their backs, spooked by the anger e from her form
So, Mihail and Ferret found the south
Not knowing in their wildest dreaet into—so determined that even if they knew, they would not stop themselves
After all, setting aside their exact e off for one another's sakes
Some time passed
<=>
The next evening, on the property of the Mars family in Germany
Riches
Wealth
Affluence
Fortune
Prosperity
Luxury
Or, put simply, possession
Money and money and money
Those who stood a shoulder above the rest, with incomparable riches in their hands
In societies both capitalistic and not, it was an incredibly easy position to understand And depending on their possession of titles, they could be called ain, aristocracy wasn't an infallible indicator of wealth
The Mars fadoe But at the same time, it possessed phenomenal affluence
The Mars fah the land was in the relatively inexpensive countryside, each and every piece of real estate was massive
However, it did not own coe businesses The Mars fah the stock market and investments in special events
In the past, it ht have qualified as nouveau riche But now, the Mars fa tradition, far from the ostentation of arrivistes
The Mars family also owned land in southern Gerland
It was a country house—a kind of enormous mansion built by British nobles to display their wealth
On one hand, the Mars family's country house bore all the splendor and majesty of a castle Yet on the other hand, free from the threat of battle, the walls were adorned with a unique elegance and beauty rather than fortification
Depending on the era and individual, some nobles owned hundreds of thousands of luxurious land, many of these collections had become tourist attractions
But the Mars family's country house in Ger displayed to the world, it lay quietly in a plain somewhere in the mountains
Of course, 'quiet' was too se
The best way to describe the property would be, not to h over three kiloates
It was about average-size as far as country houses went, but the fact that the manor was built in another country, and that it was but one of many, spoke for the affluence of the Mars family
It was said that the current fairl, but for soht
The fah the female line, and the head only showed her face when she came to take the headshi+p The succession only happened once every several decades But no eneration, each head looked rean to wonder if every Mars head thus far had actually been the same person
Naturally, their speculation was absolutely true
<=>
Currently, Mihail was sitting in a black luxury car, slowly arden road
He opened the tinted s and took in the sights
The scene lit under the et that he had only just passed through the gates into the estate
The garden was home not only to a forest, but a river Not a tiny strea with ease The stone bridges that crossed the river were supported by four crosspieces, and a boat was passing underneath at a leisurely pace
Apparently the river did not flow naturally, and the current was artificial But the fertile soil and greenery all around the was man-made
But the incredibly articulated placement of the trees thearden
”…Is this supposed to be a theme park?” Mihail wondered, unable to hide his awe Thean iridescent suit chuckled
”In a , yes Of course, you won't find much in the way of human families or cozy couples out on a stroll”
”?”
Mihail responded with a look of confusion Doubs turned his gaze to the garden and answered him
”It's no different from the island of Growerth Her many estates, scattered all over the world, is opened to what hus to outsiders, so to speak”
”Ohh” Mihail nodded, and wondered, ”what's the Lord here like?”
”She's only a landowner, so I'm afraid the term 'Lord' isn't quite accurate But she is about three hundred years old She was originally human before she was turned, so she doesn't look drastically different from yourself”
Unlike varowth, those ere turned stopped aging at the moment they became vampires
In other words, the girl Mihail was soon toIn actuality, she was an adult with centuries' worth of life experience under her belt
Just as Mihail began to wonder if she talked like an old woe structure appeared before them
”Whoa… Is this… a castle?”
”Not at all! This is a privately-owned country house It's a world away froet jealous”
In size alone, the structure ahead was a h, the country house was spread out over a such a wide space that it could probably fit an entire village inside
'Oh! It's like one of those huge shopping ht to hi
”Ah, pardon me, driver Stop the car” Doubs said suddenly The driver silently complied
”What's wrong?”
”I spot sonize”
Mihail looked around and looked in the same direction as Doubs
There was a young boy walking down the stone path at a saunter He had silky black hair that was partly dyed red, and earing Gothic-style pants and a T-shi+rt Although in style alone he looked like aAbout twelve years old in appearance He looked like a child as forcibly dressed up by Goth-obsessed parents
There was a strange glint in the boy’s eyes—a aze At the same time, the aura he emanated, almost in a Gothic lolita fashi+on, deterred people fro
The man in the iridescent suit opened theand poked out his head, addressing the boy
”Care for a lift, Fannie?”
”Oh! Hey, Mr Doubs Uh… may I?”
The boy's childlike tone was a striking contrast to his manner of dress Fannie s the door on Mihail's side
”Oh”
Having only just noticed Mihail's presence, Fannie froze
”Whoa! Sorry I'll scooch over a bit”
As Mihail slid over to the middle seat, next to Doubs, Fannie slowly stepped inside and shut the door
”…Who are you? A newbie?” The boy asked cautiously But before Mihail could answer, Doubs butted in
”A friend of mine He's a human, not a vampire, so there's really no need for careful caution”
”Right The name's Mihail It's nice to meetcha”
Mihail held out his hand with a sh of relief At that point, his attitude did a 180 as he took Mihail's outstretched hand with a confident snort
”Ohh, so you were hu My na here, but don't worry I only drink girls' blood” Fannie said with a condescending snicker But Mihail was not at all bothered by this
”Yeah! Hope we get along Man, I thought I'd be the only non-adult guy at the conference Glad to see I've got a fellow minor here”
Fannie suddenly put on a sulk, glaring up at Mihail
”…Y'know, I'm actually older than you By about five hundred years”
”What?! Seriously?!”
”You bet Heh, scared yet?” Fannie said, holding his head high Doubs chuckled
”This coirl calls hi to act so brave in front of men and adults”
”M, Mr Doubs!”
”And Mihail, don't worry about Fannie's age and formalities He's honestly lived for countless centuries, but it's only been about ten years since he took on huster”
”Oh, is that how it is?”
'Kinda like Val, huh'
Although Doubs' description went partly over his head, Mihail still understood that Fannie had the mind and heart of a child, true to his appearance
Fannie fretted at the exposure of his secret But Doubs could not look any more jolly
”Fannie, you see, is only interested in girls about the saenuously innocent, but doesn't it become simply scandalous when you remember that he's actually a five hundred-year-old man?”
”Qu, quit it! Quit teasing me!” Fannie complained in tears
Doubs chuckled and turned his sights out theonceyet another vampire, he ordered the driver to stop the car
But this time, Mihail did not see anyone outside the
Ignoring Mihail's confusion, Doubs poked his head outside and addressed soround
”Care for a ride, Wol?”
Froround—came a pleasant voice
”Are you trying to aggravatedriven by to the destination”
”I see Please excuse ht bow, and ordered the driver to continue
'A wolf vampire who can talk like a huht excitedly, and turned round to glance out the
Trotting elegantly down the road behind them was a lone chihuahua
”…”
Mihail was lost for words Gesturing for silence, Doubs whispered, ”ah, for your reference, the word 'dog' is taboo around Wol He is always ada himself a wolf”
”Mr Wol can be pretty stubborn”
”Of course, there is a true wolf vaanization, but so many mock him and call him a olf that the word 'wolf' is taboo around him Such a hopeless headache”
”Hee hee Talk about being blind to yourself” Fannie snickered, sounding a little more at ease now that they had ht
”You should speak for yourself, Fannie You may mirror a human in appearance, but-”